Granting interim relief, the Lahore High Court (LHC) reinstated the bail for Imran Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), in seven cases related to the May 9 riots. The two-member bench, led by Justice Aalia Neelum, announced the verdict after Imran Khan challenged the cancellation of bail in these cases
Additionally, the high court directed the trial court to provide a verdict on Khan’s interim bail pleas. This decision follows the rejection of bail extension petitions by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in seven cases, including the May 9 riots and the attack on Jinnah House.
The original verdict by the trial court’s judge, Ijaz Ahmad Butar, on August 11 of the previous year, led to the denial of bail for the politician, who was ousted from the prime minister’s office through a parliamentary vote in 2022.
Imran Khan and other top leaders of the PTI are facing numerous cases ahead of the nationwide polls scheduled for February 8. The party suffered setbacks, losing the legal battle to reclaim its iconic “bat” electoral symbol and facing challenges to the legality of its intra-party elections.
The PTI also experienced setbacks in forming alliances, as the party it sought to ally with, PTI-Nazriati, backed out of the commitment earlier this month. While the PTI faces challenges, its main rivals, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), have already initiated nationwide campaigns and distributed tickets for national and provincial constituencies.
